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FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Read the LWVWA Statement for the Climate Advisory Team,
Washington Climate Challenge, Seattle, August 7, 2007.
DO A LITTLE...CHANGE A LOT

Read what this family has done to lessen their carbon footprint and what you too can do!

LWVUS Advocacy Statement on Climate Change

Global climate change threatens the integrity of the earth's climate system and there is a need to act without delay to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To reduce the likelihood of severe damage to both human societies and natural ecosystems the League supports:

  • The preservation of the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the ecosystem and maximum protection of public health and the environment.
  • Energy goals and policies that acknowledge the United States as a responsible member of the world community through sound use of energy resources with consideration of the entire cycle of energy production and emphasis on conserving energy and using energy-efficient technologies.
In addition, the League believes that policy makers must take into account the ramifications of their decisions on the nation as a whole as well as on other nations.

LWVUS has signed onto a Statement of Principles on global warming, along with several other environmental organizations.
Donna Ewing, LVW/Thurston County, has been named to the LWVUS Task Force on Climate Change. The task force's mission is to develop supporting material for Leagues at all levels to utilize in taking positions on climate change. Although the League has already stated its support of legislative and individual efforts to combat climate change, there is a dearth of specific information for Leagues and League members to use when addressing the issue. Members of the task force are charged with researching and preparing papers on a wide variety of topics, which will be shared and reviewed by task force members as they develop specific reference material for Leagues and League members.

Membership of the task force is comprised of nine individuals from across the country: Chair Sarah Diefendorf (CA), LWBUS VP and Washington State liaison, Caryl Terrell (WI), Pamela Person (ME), Winifred Colwill (MO), Margaret Stern (ME), Chad Tolman (DE), Eleanor Revelle (IL), Robin Tokmakian (CA), and Donna Ewing (WA).

Climate Change Resources

INTERNET SITES

Climate Solutions climatesolutions.org
Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/globalwarming/greenhouse
National Center for Atmospheric Research www.ncar.ucar.edu
The Pew Trust www.pewclimate.org
Union of Concerned Scientists www.ucsusa.org
Physicians for Social Responsibility www.psr.org
Energy Star information www.energystar.gov
Alliance to Save Energy www.ase.org/consumer
Northwest Energy Coalition www.nwenergy.org
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency www.pscleanair.org

BOOKS

Field notes from a catastrophe: man, nature, and climate change by Elizabeth Kolbert (New York : Bloomsbury Pub., 2006) is an expansion on an excellent three-part series published in The New Yorker in 2005 (more details below under "magazines").

The weather makers: how man is changing the climate and what it means for life on Earth by Tim Flannery (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2006) is credited with changing the position of the Australian government on global warming. Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair has stated, "Almost uniquely, The Weather Makers provides insights not only into the history, science, and politics of climate change, but also the actions people can take now that will make a difference."

Greenhouse: the 200-year story of global warming by Gale E. Christianson (New York: Walker and Company, 1999) is a very readable history of the process of global warming and how it has developed as a parallel to industrialization and the increasing consumption of fossil fuels for transportation, energy, and development.

The official Earth Day guide to planet repair by Denis Hayes (Washington, DC: Island Press, 2000) is a very readable guide to understanding global warming. It offers many ways to reduce energy use, affect policy, and test your environmental IQ. It also lists numerous resources for further information. The author is chairman and CEO of Earth Day.

Stormy weather: 101 solutions to global climate change by Guy Dauncey, with Patrick Mazza (Gabriola Island, B.C. : New Society Publishers, 2001) is an excellent resource book for everyone. It offers practical options for individuals and institutions who want to find solutions to climate change, and it offers a blueprint for contributing to the survival of the planet. Described as "one-stop shopping for global warming action for all sectors of society," this book is a very readable and comprehensive explanation of climate change.

MAGAZINES

Time, Vol. 167, No. 14, April 3, 2006. Cover article "Global Warming Heats Up" <www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1176980,00.html>

Audubon, Vol. 105, No. 4, December, 2003, special issue. "Global Warning" <http://magazine.audubon.org/content/content0312.html>

Fortune, Vol. 149, No. 3, February 9, 2004, p. 100. "The Pentagon's Weather Nightmare" <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/02/09/360120/index.htm>

Fortune, Vol. 150, No. 4, August 23, 2004, p. 100 (cover article) "How to Kick the Oil Habit" <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/08/23/379395/index.htm>

YES!, Issue 31, Fall 2004, p. 12-50, special issue. "Can We Live Without Oil?" <http://www.yesmagazine.org/default.asp?ID=115>

National Geographic, Vol. 206, No. 3, September, 2004, p. 2 (cover article) "The Heat is On"

Business Week Online, August 16, 2004 (cover article) "Global Warming"

The New Yorker, Vol. 81, Issues 10-12 (April 25, May 2 , May 9, 2005) "The Climate of Man" (three-part series) by Elizabeth Kolbert. See ProQuest magazine database (available at some libraries) for full text of these articles.
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